


Return to Me

by kyryn



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: M/M, Romance, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-04-06 11:16:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19061536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyryn/pseuds/kyryn
Summary: Yugi would give anything to have even just a few seconds to see his other self again, even if for just a few seconds.





	Return to Me

The small boy groaned softly, running a few fingers through his tri-colored locks. His body was hunched over the oak desk, papers scattered in every direction possible. The state of complete disarray cover his desk was nothing in comparison to his mind, however.

With finals looming over his head, Yugi was attempting to get as much studying done while he possibly could. Looking down at the source material, Yugi could already feel the tears forming in his cherry colored eyes. He couldn’t handle this.

How was he ever going to pass?

None of this seemed familiar to the broken male. It was like he had forgotten everything that he learned over the course of the school year - if he even learned any of this at all. It didn’t make any sense to him.

It wasn’t like Yugi was a bad student either. Over all the years of schooling he had until this point, Yugi was an excellent student. He passed with flying colors and did everything he could to achieve high marks. But now, no matter how hard he tried, Yugi couldn’t feel prepared for the incoming tests.

A small sigh left Yugi’s lips, the small male allowing his hand to fall away from his head. He folded them across the table, dropping his head onto them. Yugi’s eyes were slowly fluttering shut, his mind beginning to calm slightly while the sleepiness was starting to take over.

Yugi didn’t even realize how late it was. He had been studying for what felt like hours, paying absolutely no attention towards the time ticking by. He was exhausted. The studying into late hours combined with the mental strain had put Yugi on the cusp of passing out.

“Just a few hours…” Yugi murmured to himself.

His breathing began to steady itself, the stress slowly melting away while his mind gave into the exhaustion. It was only a couple hours until sunrise, he could sleep until that time before he went back to studying. Maybe he could find a classmate to help tomorrow.

Yugi?

A small groan left Yugi’s lips at the noise. He couldn’t tell if someone had called his name or if he was simply imagining it. His mind was half asleep, his body feeling light as if it were being lifted up. He was relaxed finally.

Yugi!

His eyes snapped open. There was no way he could deny that. His body sat up right, pain immediately flying through him when he realized that he had smacked his head on something. But how was that possible? Yugi had been lying down on his head when he fell asleep.

It didn’t take long for Yugi to realize that he wasn’t sitting at his desk any longer. In fact, Yugi didn’t think he was in his room at all. Somehow, Yugi had gotten into a sitting position, leaned against the wall before smacking directly into whatever was in front of him. He shook his head, allowing his eyes to flutter open, his breathing hitching in his throat.

He was dreaming. He had to be.

Standing in front of him, knelt down to his level was the person that he thought he would never see again. The white fabric draped over his frame, a small smile spread across his dark complexion. It had been forever since he had a dream about the Pharaoh. He swore to himself that he accepted Atem’s absence now and the dreams slowly stopped but…

“It really worked.”

The deep voice was familiar to Yugi, causing a shiver to run down his spine. This wasn’t like the other dreams he had about the Pharaoh. Somehow, this felt more real. It was like his other half was standing in front of him again just like he used to.

Yugi saw his other half extend a hand to him, offering to help the confused male to his feet. Slowly, Yugi reached out, touching the outstretched hand. A small gasp left his lips upon contact. The skin he touched felt so real. How could a dream feel this real?

“Atem…?” Yugi whispered breathlessly.

The spikey haired male in front of him nodded slowly, clasping his hand around Yugi’s and pulling the short male to his feet. Yugi stumbled slightly, his mind still filled with the cloud of exhaustion. When he stumbled, he almost fell into Atem but barely managed to catch himself, a small laugh leaving the lips of the powerful man in front of him.

His eyes looked down at their clasped hands, his mind attempting to make sense of this. It was just a dream. Atem had moved into the afterlife, he was finally at peace after so many centuries. There was no possible way that he was standing in front of Yugi again - despite how much Yugi wanted that reality to exist.

“It appears that our souls will always remain connection,” Atem said lightly.

Yugi looked up at him again, noticing the few people standing behind him. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t realize the mysterious people there. He didn’t recognize a single person. Atem seemed to notice what had captured Yugi’s attention, turning to the row of people.

“Please leave us, I wish to speak with Yugi in my chambers alone,” Atem said to them, authority clinging to his every word.

"Yes, My King. We will grant you this peace but please call for us if you need anything,” one of the men spoke. He gave a bow to Atem, motioning for the others in the group to follow.

Yugi watched them leave, furthering deepening his confusion about the matter at hand. Atem turned back to him, drawing in a sharp breath. He dropped Yugi’s hand, realizing they were still clasped together and stepped back slightly.

“This isn’t a dream, partner.”

Atem’s voice was gentle, speaking to Yugi with caution. He watched Yugi’s reaction, waiting for the smaller boy to become startled but he remained calm and collected. Confusion etched itself onto his expression, opening his mouth multiple times in an attempt to speak but failing at it.

“Will you follow me? We can talk somewhere more private.”

“Yes…” Yugi tried to say the word loudly but it came out as a whisper. He found himself unable to find his voice, gulping harshly while he slowly followed his other self down the hallway.

The duo passed multiple rooms, Yugi getting a glance into each one to see people inside. He didn’t recognize anyone else in this dream except himself and Atem. But those words… They were hanging onto Yugi’s mind.

This isn’t a dream, partner.

Between those words and how real everything felt, Yugi was beginning to find himself questioning his sanity. This couldn’t be real. Atem was long gone and he would never see his former partner again. No amount of crying, begging or pleading would ever change that… But what if it could change? What if this was his second chance to see Atem?

Atem led him into a room just down the hallway, closing the door behind him. Yugi found himself gawking while he walked into the elaborate room. It was decorated for a king truly. The high ceilings hung over the two men, a large bed settled in the center of the room with two potted plants on either side.

He moved toward the left side of the room, his fingertips running over the polished tan colored wall, admiring the tapestry that hung not too far away. His admiration for the room was interrupted when he heard someone clear their throat from behind him. His body whipped around, remembering that his former partner was here as well.

“How have you been, partner?”

Atem’s familiar deep voice floated across the room. Yugi had heard it plenty of times in his dreams from memory but right now, it felt different. He could still remember the last time he heard Atem’s voice in the flesh before their final duel, and it sounded exactly like it did now.

“Is that really you?” Yugi tried to get out. His voice was shaky but his hands shook even worse. What was he doing asking such a question? This was a dream from all the stress he had been under lately.

“This is no dream,” Atem responded carefully, “Our souls have remained connected. I prayed for a chance to see you again. We were never given a proper goodbye, I wanted just one more chance to have that.”

“How is that possible?”

“I don’t have an answer for you, partner. I’m unsure how you are even here,” Atem responded. He couldn’t give Yugi the answers he wanted but he could try to make this time count. “My guards informed me that a young male had been found in the palace so I came to investigate.”

“I-I don’t understand,” Yugi stuttered. “I fell asleep while I was studying and I woke up here. How can you say this isn’t a dream?”

Atem didn’t verbally respond to Yugi’s question. He sighed softly before beginning to move closer to Yugi. He crossed the small space between them, meeting Yugi by the far wall. Yugi’s breath hitched in his throat, watching as Atem grabbed his left hand, lifting their now clasped together hands for him to see.

“I don’t have any proof that this isn’t a dream but focus on the feeling of the touch. Does this feel like a dream?” Atem stated suddenly. Yugi’s eyes flicked between their clasped together hands and Atem, his mind attempting to make sense of the situation.

Yugi wanted to respond but he found his voice missing again. The tears were quickly forming in his eyes, threatening to spill over his porcelain cheeks. Atem’s expression softened from its usual serious look when he noticed the tears in Yugi’s eyes.

“Why are you crying, partner?” Atem asked gently. He thought about letting Yugi’s hand go but he kept a tight hold on it, lowering it slightly so their hands swung slowly at their side now.

“I…” Yugi tried to find his voice but was unable to, the tears cutting off any semblance of a sentence he could have formed.

What did he say to Atem? This was the person that he shared a body with for so long. This was the person who had become intertwined with his own soul, he couldn’t imagine having to live without Atem inside the puzzle… Until he had to. Atem’s soul had always been at his side from the moment the puzzle was solved and in an instant, he had left Yugi behind.

Now Atem was standing in front of him again. It wasn’t a dream or some made-up reality. Atem was right, Yugi could feel the Atem’s touch. This had to be real. Even if it didn’t make sense, he wanted to believe it was real. After all, there was a lot of things in his life that never made logical sense but had still happened. Why couldn’t that be the case here?

But Atem was dead. Yugi knew that within his heart. After their final battle, Atem moved onto the afterlife where he belonged. Did that mean…?

“Am I dead?” Yugi asked without thinking about it. When the thought crossed his mind, he couldn’t help but simply blurt the question out.

“W-what?” Atem responded in shock. From the look on his face, Yugi knew that Atem had never considered the possibility.

Yugi knew it could be possible. He had just been within his bedroom back in Domino City, but now he appeared to be in Egypt again. He certainly didn’t know the time period but he knew Atem was an ancient Pharaoh. There was no way they were in modern Egypt. Either Yugi was losing his mind completely or he was in the afterlife with Atem.

Atem couldn’t find the words to speak to his former partner. He could see the worry that grew within Yugi’s eyes, his mind clearly trying to rationalize the reality of this. Of course he was though, Yugi had a lot more to lose if he was actually dead. Atem’s life had ended long ago, but Yugi still had his full life ahead of him.

His movements were unexpected. Even the powerful king didn’t realize what he was doing until his arms were wrapped tightly around Yugi’s body. The two males were wrapped in a tight embrace, Atem’s arms wound around Yugi’s body. He wanted to take the fear and worry away from his partner like he always did in the past.

He wanted to protect Yugi from evil just like he did before.

The males separated from the tight embrace, Yugi’s eyes looking up into Atem’s. When they separated, Yugi had never gotten the courage to tell Atem how he truly felt. It was always one of his deepest regrets. These feelings were held deep inside of him; he had never told anyone about his regrets after Atem left them.

Everyone was beginning to move on and adjust to life without the Pharaoh. Yugi felt like he needed to do the same, but nothing ever was quite the same. Life was different with Atem. He couldn’t look at it the same way and he never felt the same connection with another. After feeling that strong bond to Atem, he didn’t think he would find that with anyone ever again.

“Why don’t you tell me how everyone has been?” Atem asked lightly. He was attempting to distract Yugi’s mind. He didn’t wish for the dark thoughts to weigh on him.

“They’ve been good,” Yugi responded. He tried to keep his tone even but it shook lightly, showing the fear coursing through him. “Anzu is studying dance in the States and Jonouchi has become one of the best duelists around the world!”

“How have you been, partner?” Atem asked curiously. He was desperate to know how his former partner had been doing since he left. Yugi had showed that he could fair just fine without Atem but evens still, the Pharaoh worried for him.

“I’ve been…alright,” Yugi said hesitantly. Yami noticed this, cocking an eyebrow in response to the hesitant wording. “I’m studying game design at university, I want to create my own game someday.”

“That’s great!” Atem tried to sound cheerful for the male but he still worried. Was Yugi not telling him everything? Atem couldn’t know how his partner was doing, he could only wish the best for him. But the hesitant wording had made him worry.

“But…” Yugi began to speak but trailed off. If this was the real Atem, he couldn’t tell him this. Atem would feel guilt, he knew that. It wasn’t Atem’s job to deal with Yugi’s fragile emotions any longer, he had to deal with them alone.

“What is it?”

“I know it’s been a while but I… I still miss you a lot,” Yugi admitted after a small bit of hesitancy. He drew in a sharp breath, biting down onto his bottom lip and looking away from Atem.

“I miss you too, partner.”

Yugi’s sight shot back up, a small gasp escaping his lips. Atem was giving him a gentle and sincere smile but Yugi was unable to clearly read the emotions beyond that. It was destiny that brought them together but it was also destiny that separated them. Yugi knew it was how things were meant to go but he found it cruel.

How could fate allow him to get so close to another person then cruelly rip them from his life like that? It wasn’t fair. He and Atem were a team, they were partners through everything - good and bad. Even if he knew releasing Atem’s spirit was how things were meant to go, he found himself often wishing that he hadn’t.

The tears began to slip down Yugi’s face again, the slightly shorter boy taking his hand away from Atem’s grip. He stepped back, wiping the tears away. The conflicting emotions he felt were tearing him apart. He was happy to see Atem again but at the same time, it felt like his heart was being ripped out. He just knew that they would have to say goodbye again soon.

“Why do you cry like this, partner?”

Yugi immediately shook his head in response to Atem’s words. He didn’t know how to explain it to him. Of course Atem didn’t understand why he was crying. The Pharaoh was so strong, he didn’t allow himself vulnerability or weakness like Yugi did. He was the strong one of the duo.

“I don’t want to say goodbye again,” Yugi managed to choke out. He had stalled his crying a bit, wiping the remnants away and finally finding the courage to look at Atem again.

Atem sighed softly, fully understanding his former partner’s emotions. He felt the same way, he didn’t wish to say goodbye to Yugi. But he knew that Yugi could not stay here. Yugi was still young. Atem had lived his life and he sacrificed it to save the world, but Yugi could live a full life now. He wasn’t dead and he didn’t deserve to be, Atem wouldn’t allow it.

He closed the small gap that Yugi had created, wrapping his arms tightly around his former partner. His embrace was tighter this time and soon, he felt Yugi return the hug, holding onto him tightly.

“Maybe we don’t have to say goodbye,” Atem murmured softly. There had to be a way. There had to be a way that they could be reunited permanently without Yugi giving up his life.

_Please wake up, Yugi. Find a way to reunite us._

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't really know whether to list this story's pairing as Yugi/Yami or Yugi/Atem since it sort of crosses into both. I've never posted one of my Yu-Gi-Oh works before so this is new ground for me. I wanted to keep the reality of this fiction and end pretty open. Whether it was a dream for Yugi or reality is something I wanted to keep up to the readers' interpretation.
> 
> I really like this idea and I might play with it a bit more for a sequel to this one-shot or a full length story.
> 
> This was a small story written for Puzzle-June that I saw on Tumblr. The prompt for June 1 was "Reunion" and it sparked an immediate idea for me. I don't know if I'll write for all their prompts but I'll probably do a couple more!


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